After You're Gone
by o fiSH o
Summary: OotP SPOILERS!::: Remus is depressed, and refuses to come out of ....a room. A werewolf's musings, and other things...


Disclaimer: I do not own HP.  
  
A/N:  
  
WARNINGGGGGss SPOILERS FOR BOOK 5! SB/RL SLASH IMPLIED!!  
  
~~  
  
*Why? Why did it have to be him..*  
  
Dust had gathered in multiplying layers in every place imaginable. The cupboards with the drawers still pulled slightly out, the bed that was made in a hurry, and the half-open closet, filled with only a few battered, windswept black robes.  
  
The walls seemed stripped of it's life, and the entire room itself was just..empty. Drained of it's soul. The only other inhabitants of the house were all sleeping and dreaming haunted dreams.  
  
One pale streak of moonlight peeked through from the single window in the room, illuminating the only person inside, who sat, hunchbacked against the opposite wall. The man, Remus J. Lupin had been sitting there since that day.. breaking down into sobs every now and then, never eating, occasionally sleeping. His soft, light brown hair was streaked with gray, giving off the notion that he was older and wiser than he actually was. The patched and tattered robes that he wore seemed to hang off his body, like a coat on a rack. The man's face that was once innocent and intellectual was now gaunt and soulless.  
  
Remus's lifted his head up, now lying back against the wall. He looked down with sorrowful eyes at the bottle of alcohol on the floor, and then to the framed picture next to it.  
  
He sighed..once..twice..then with a hitched breath and a short yell, he brought his balled hand up, and smashed it on the picture, shattering the glass covering.  
  
Striking the picture again and again, the cracks echoed around the room, and the house. He let out a shuddering breath, and allowed tears to consume him.  
  
They ran down his face mercilessly as he bit his lip to try and muffle the sound. His hiccups were only making the tears flow faster, running down his pale cheeks, and wetting his collar, paying no attention to the crimson liquid that dripped from his hand.  
  
" Sirius.." he whispered. " Sirius..Sirius.." Remus' hiccupping had now turned into full-fledged sobbing. He buried his face in his arms. His weeping wracked his body, making his tremble and shake. He didn't even bother trying to hide it this time. The room rang with his cries.  
  
*God Sirius..what am I supposed to do without you?* The brunette's thoughts flashed in his mind.  
  
He looked down at the slightly bloodied picture, which lay in the broken glass. With trembling fingers, he slowly slid the glass off it, and picked it up. They picture was taken in his sixth year. It was of only them two; Sirius was with his broomstick in one arm, and Remus' neck around the other. Sirius was smiling like it was the jolliest thing in the world, and Remus was playfully pushing him off, with a returned smile. God how he wished he was back there..  
  
With weak fingers, he dropped the photo, only to gasp loudly. His blurry, tearstained vision could just barely make out..  
  
Sirius.  
  
In the corner nearest to him, a light figure, an apparition of a man was there, and had been there for some time. He looked exactly like he did on that day..  
  
His iridescent, transparent hair fell loosely about his shoulders. His handsome face held a sad smile.  
  
With a strangled cry, Remus began to sob again. He bent over on his hands and knees, letting his tears splatter onto the floor.  
  
"Oh, God..Siri.." he choked out. The specter came closer.  
  
"Why? Why did you have to leave me?" The brown-haired man was now looking up at the spirit.  
  
The ghostly apparition looked down, silent.  
  
"Siri..I can't go on without you." Remus sobbed, "I can't."  
  
One translucent arm reached out, and was placed upon Remus' cheek. The feeling of it was barely there, like the softest wind. Remus' eyes closed, with droplets of tears still clinging on his lashes. An overwhelming sense of peace filled him.  
  
The specter knelt down, and placed its forehead against the other man's, looking into his reddened eyes. It's arms lightly rested upon Remus' shoulders, and it smiled gently.  
  
The brunette almost cried again with the close contact. It seemed to sooth them both, looking into each other's eyes again, reading them. The two, werewolf and spirit stayed in that position for a while, them finally, the brunette pulled away, dry eyed and calm.  
  
" I love you..you know that right?" He whispered, his eyes now expressing devotion and adoration.  
  
Sirius nodded briefly and closed his eyes.  
  
Then, gradually, the specter began to disappear, from the feet up. Leaning in slightly, it's lips softly grazed Remus' lips, leaving it with a tingling, delicate but true after-feeling. It leaned back down as it's chest, too, was vanishing away.  
  
Before it's last good-bye, Sirius mouthed,  
  
I love you too.  
  
Remus sat there for a long while after Sirius had gone. He picked up the fallen photograph once more and looked at it, then pocketed it.  
  
The young man fell asleep soon after that, for once, not plagued by nightmares.  
  
~~~~*~~~~~~  
  
The next morning, sunlight spilled in onto the sleeping form. With a flicker of his eyes, he awoke. Yawning gracefully, the man slowly pulled himself to his feet, dust falling from his raggy robes..looked around the room one last time..and left.  
  
~eND  
  
. R&R! 


End file.
